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Incredible country that's cheap, beautiful, easy to navigate and has so much to offer in terms of culture, nature, and people. This was from a trip back in 2018, so some things might have changed. HMU with any questions and enjoy!
Safe travels,
Esther xx
South Africa safety tips:
I had a wonderful time in SA and felt safe most of the time. That being said, a few words of caution and about safety in SA, because #priorities :)
If you ever feel afraid or in danger, pull into a petrol station. They are known to be under heavy video surveillance (because they are primarily cash-run businesses, or at least used to be) and therefore are a safe bet if you’re feeling threatened.
Be careful with the police--they can be quite corrupt and want bribes etc. Know your rights, i.e. if they pull you over--they must have a warrant and a certificate of good standing, etc. It’s always important to look up the local laws before you visit a country, but especially important in a place where the police are often corrupt :/
Don’t flaunt your valuables or electronics.
Beggars and the like will stop you at red lights for money and they can be crazy persistent. Sometimes, they’ll tell you there’s something wrong with your car because they want you to stop and open the window. Be very careful, my friends phone was just stolen from her hands at a stop light because her window was open.
At one stop on the garden route, we stopped at a central parking lot in a populated part of town. A well dressed, normal looking man stopped us and tried to convince us that we needed to go a booth across the street to get a special parking ticket. He was quite convincing (he seemed like a good samaritan just trying to help) and we nearly believed him, but we asked some locals first and they told us there is no such thing. Everyone agreed that he probably would have just tried to corner us and steal our valuables if he had gotten us to go to that booth away from the crowds. Point is, be vigilant, don’t just trust random strangers who approach you, and just be careful. We felt a little silly asking the locals if the tickets were legit, but it’s a good thing we did. Better safe than sorry!
Never leave bags or valuables in the car--Smash and Grabs are a thing. Your car can get broken into (hence the smash = broken windows) and your goods stolen. If you do leave suitcases in the trunk or whatever, pull down the boot cover (for all my American homies--cars in SA usually have a cover that you can pull over the trunk so that an outsider cannot see whats inside the car). We emptied the front of our car, took all our valuables, and just left suitcases with clothes in the trunk which we covered with the boot cover. We were fine, but others we met along the garden route were not so lucky :( If you rent a car, it’s a good idea to get extra insurance to cover windows and tires.
Other tips in SA:
Don’t need much cash in general--credit cards accepted everywhere. I exchanged less than 300$ total for 4 weeks and had more than enough cash.
Weather: we were there at the end of winter, and it got very cold. It wasnt so bad except that SA doesnt do indoor heating (except for hotels etc) so we were freezing all the time. Bring layers.
I did not take any pills or vaccines because I checked the CDC guides and apparently there’s only risk of catching malaria etc in certain parts of the country, which I wasn’t planning on visiting. But do your research--ask your doctor, check the CDC.
Capetown
Capetown Tips:
AirBnB here is super cheap, safe and really good. Mostly stayed in them during my trip. Some nice, safe areas to stay in include Camps Bay, Sea Point and Bantry Bay (they’re all along the waterfront and pretty close to each other).
Uber is the way to go within Capetown itself. Super cheap (like 2$ a ride) and totally safe, arrive in minutes. No need to rent a car unless you’re going out of the city.
If you do rent a car, note that you need to pay the carguards--they’re like human parking meters and they collect the parking fees. Some shops, such as checkers, will give you a receipt for free parking when you buy things from them and then you can park in their underground lots for free. In general, the underground lots are usually not too expensive.
Capetown sunsets are UNREAL. Try to catch sunset along the water whenever you can.
Kosher restaurants cape town:
The Press (meat)
Riteve Cafe (at the Jewish Museum)
Avron’s (meat)
Huge kosher food selection at Checkers in Sea Point (also at Spar).
To do CPT:
Cable car or hike up table mountain
Tip: book online before you get there so you dont have to wait online
Hike Lion’s Head for sunrise
Also check out other great hikes like Silvermine and Elephants Eye
Kosher winery in Stellenbosch, about 45 mins away
Check out Long street and the other main streets in CPT for shops and action
Kirstenbosch gardens. Super beautiful
Tour the Cape Peninsula, including simons town, boulders beach (penguins),Cape of good hope, hout bay, Kalk Bay, Chapman’s peak, etc.
Tip: dont pay to go into the official boulders beach penguin reserve: rather, to the left down the block you can just walk on the beach for free and there are penguins there too, which you can get much closer to without the crowds. Much nicer IMO
We took a really overpriced tour of the peninsula, but all the tours pretty much offer the same thing so you can go with a cheaper one, or just drive yourself.
V&A waterfront. Shopping, views, pretty and touristy
Bo Kaap--colorful neighborhood.
Clifton beach
Amazing beaches :) Camps Bay Beach, Clifton Beach, Muizenberg Beach (a bit far out) and Llandudno beach for sunset.
Robben Island--Island where Mandela was imprisoned.
Book this in advance because it sells out, and check the weather because it doesn’t run in the rain.
Garden Route
The Garden Route is this amazing road trip that goes from Capetown to Johannesburg. It was hands down the best road trip of my entire life and I could not recommend it more!
General Tips
We went from Capetown → Port Elizabeth and flew from PE to JoBurg. We did 5.5 days, wish we had more time but were able to cover a lot.
Rented a car from Avis. overall okay but not amazing, I heard Bidvest might be better. They charged us for driving extra mileage, which we hadnt, but we forgot to take a picture of the odometer when we got the car. So remember to do that :)
Coming from driving on the right, the Garden route isn’t difficult as it is mostly one straight highway. We didn’t have a problem driving on the other side of the road.
The garden route roads are super well maintained, smooth, and easy to drive. The signage is excellent--we did the entire thing without using a GPS. Simple and pretty safe.
This may seem obvious, but take time to stop at the various viewpoints along the route, where there’s space on the shoulder of the road to stop your car and look out. We didn’t do that till the end of our trip and we saw the most incredible views. Totally worth stopping.
Note: we did not plan our trip at all. I asked a couple of people for tips, and then we just drove in the general direction of PE and stopped where things looked interesting or where there were things that had been highly recommended. It worked out very well for us.
Same goes for accommodation--about an hour before sunset each night, we would look up hostels in the closest towns on our phones and book then and there. We were there in low season (August), so everything was available and cheaper than usual so it wasn’t a problem to book right before arrival. You would probably need to plan a bit more if you come in high season (summertime).
The route from CPT is the N2 highway. Its a straightforward highway that follows the coastline. The garden route consists of a bunch of small cities and towns just off this route.
You can do this trip solo or without a car--there are hop on/off busses that do this route. More info on that later on.
Our Route
Hermanus
The drive here from CPT is about 1.5-2 hours.
Slightly longer to drive past bettys bay, but do it if you can bc the views are awesome
We booked a whale watching tour in Hermanus. This is only available at certain months during the year. It was super cool, you get really close to the whales, but also really expensive as there are few tour operators and they have a monopoly.
Check out Gearings Point for sunset and sunrise--absolutely beautiful lookout point in Hermanus.
We stayed at Hermanus backpackers. Pretty gross, nothing to write home about.
Day 2: left at sunrise for Outdshoorn (pronounced ootswarn, btw), 4 hours from Hermanus.
You can stop at mossel bay, which is right before here, but we chose to skip it because we heard its quite industrial and not much to do.
Went to the Highgate show farm. An ostrich farm with 6k ostriches. You can RIDE OSTRICHES, pet and feed them, watch ostrich races, and see how ostrich products are made. This was super cool and definitely a highlight. Fair warning: ostriches can be dangerous, do this at your own risk.
Visited the Cango Caves: super cool caves with stalagmites and stalactite formations. If you’re daring, you can do the difficult route, where you need to slither on your stomach and crawl through small openings.
There’s more to do in Outdshoorn but we didn’t have time.
You can go from here to George, but there’s not much happening there IMO.
We spent the night in Wilderness, about an hour from Outdshoorn, at Fairy Knowe Backpackers (not to be confused with Fairy Knowe Hotel). We ended up there by accident but we loved it so much we stayed two nights. Their bar is super fun and happening, they have live music most nights, and their accommodations (we got private, en suite) was nice.
Day 3: Wilderness
I went paragliding in Wilderness with Johan from Wild2Fly/ beachflights (+27832292919) over the beach. Felt safe and like he knew his stuff, was a great experience.
DONT MISS: ask any local/ your hostel manager about Clifford’s Cave. this is an experience you can’t miss. Clifford is a homeless man who transformed an abandoned cave into an incredible home for the homeless. It will blow your mind. Google for more info, but I promise it’s worth the visit.
Slept at Fairy Knowe Backpackers again :)
Day 4: left for Knysna (pronounced nigh-snah)
East Head cafe in Knysna for coffees--amazing view
Knysna Heads--go to the viewpoint at the top for an incredible viewpoint of the water and mountains. 5 mins from the cafe.
Knysna Elephant Park--this was totally worth it. You get to feed, walk with and pet the elephants. Its a special experience, we really enjoyed this.
Spent the night at Plettenberg Bay, forgot what it’s called unfortunately :(
There’s actually a large jewish community and a shul in Plett. There’s also a restaurant that offers Kosher food if you call in advance. Indigo Bay restaurant at the Beacon Island hotel. Email joan@sprout.co.za for reservations.
Day 5: spent the day in the Plett/ crags area, nature’s valley .
I went horse riding nearby at hogshead trails, it was nothing special honestly .
Checked out local markets and shops
Check out the beach at nature’s valley, it’s super beautiful: its a beach between a lake and the ocean.
Spent the night at Wild Spirit backpackers. It’s a fun and chill place but the accommodations are kinda gross.
Day 6: Port Elizabeth
On our drive to PE, we stopped at the Bloukrans bridge to watch people bungee jump. We also stopped at storms river and Jeffrey’s bay, which is amazing in summer but not much happening in winter. They do have a Billabong factory store there. It’s a surfing town.
Port Elizabeth is pretty gross and theres not much to do there. We went there so we could catch our flights to Joburg.
Joburg
There isn’t much happening in Joburg, and it is also less safe and not as modernized and well-kept as Capetown. Just a heads up :) same safety tips from CPT apply here, plus an additional dose of caution.
Lots of kosher here, there’s a big jewish community.
Things to do
Check out the African market at Rosebank mall for African souvenirs
If you’re looking for shopping: Mall of Africa, Sandton Mall, Rosebank Mall
Catch sunset from a rooftop bar. Sunsets here are beautiful!
The Sandton Sun--super fancy hotel with a great deck and bar
Hyde Park Hotel: also great for sundowners
Apartheid museum: this is excellent. Learn everything there is to know about Apartheid. Love this.
Melrose arch: really cute shopping area with cafes and shops. Nice to wander around.
Hartbeesportdam: if you’ve got time to kill, you can check this place out. A dam overlooking a beautiful view, and just a cool area to explore. THere’s also a cable car here.
Lesedi cultural village: visit the tribes and experience their culture. We stopped here but didn’t do the tour because it was expensive and very long--we didnt have time.
Lion park--didn’t do this but it’s supposedly nice. It’s right near the Lesedi village so you can make a day trip out of both.
Do a tour of Soweto, a local township. I didn’t do this bc it was super expensive but everyone who did told us it was amazing.
Pilanesburg safari: if you can’t make it to Kruger, do a day tour to Pilanesburg. I did it and it was awesome, saw pretty much everything. It’s a smaller, closer safari.
Gelatissimo: delicious kosher gelato. Have to do a shoutout because the owner is actually Italian and she went back to Italy for a few months to learn how to make proper gelato. Please go here it will change your life k thanks.
I stayed at friends, but there is a Jewish hotel in JoBurg called Genesis.
Other Information
I’m including the research I did before my trip here:
Info from a South African friend:
generally, the coastal route ie the whole east coast of South Africa is easily accessible and really tourist friendly like there are backpackers down the whole way from Durban to cape Town
The Baz Bus which is a backpackers bus and it drives down the coast and stops at nearly all the backpackers so you can get on and off whenever you feel like
Can take bus from Capetown→ Durban and then fly from Durban to JoBurg for like 30$ 1 hour flight.
What could be cool also when you here at around the wedding time is head up into the desert, from cape Town up the west coast because it is flower season in the namaqua land
Then also there are the drakensburg mountains which are really beautiful, just may be a little cold when you here but that could be done with the bazbus and a lot of the backpackers do shuttles to the tourist spots
When it comes to things like the Kruger or the game parks if you want to do them as a stand alone trip, is try get a few people here and get a car and spend a few days there. Because that is a trip where there is no central tourist route or places to stay.
Hostel recommendations for the Garden Route and Beyond
Mantis and moon in umzumbe,
jungle monkey or amapondo in Port st Jones,
coffee shack in coffee bay,
island vibe in Jeffrey's Bay,
away with the fairies in hogsback (this is inland in the mountains but there is a shuttle from the main route there, oh and may be cold at this time of year but a cool place anyways like misty mountains forest hot chocolate around the fire vibes;))
buccaneers in cinsta,
wild spirit backpackers in the crags, those are the ones hahaha the list goes on
In the drakensberg there is inkosana lodge and backpackers which is beautiful but very relaxed and chilled
Here’s everything I found about SA on the Jewish Girls Travel Forum:
This itinerary of the Garden Route + parts of CPT and JoBurg is epic and so helpful. Shoutout to JGTer Saskia Freud Stiebel for sharing!
Cape Town tips + things to do:
RE: Shots, etc. I took anti-malaria pills starting a couple of days before I went through a few days after I came home. You may want to speak to a doctor to see what the current CDC recommendation about yellow fever vaccinations.
jewish museum
kosher wine and cheese tour in stellenbosh wine area--There is a new kosher wine and chocolate tasting at Baksberg Winery which is outstanding! Call for reservations
spend 2 days in hermanus - whale trail, nice walks, drive up the coast further - cape agulhas is really pretty ... caledon has a nice spa/ hot pools
If you like animals you should go to the World of Birds in Hout Bay (Cape Town) where you can play with monkeys and see some of the most incredible birds on the planet
Cape Town- lions head hike is difficult but enjoyable and a great view from the top we did it at sun set which was really beautiful but the hike down was difficult in the dark 😁
boulders beach with the Penguins is a perfect relaxing beach day but with penguins! On the way to boulders beach there's an area I forgot the name but they have lots of water sports and thing to do maybe something captain something not sure. Near boulders beach there's also a lookout to where the Indian and Pacific Ocean meet called cape of good hope.
Table mountain is beautiful but it's even better if you hike down/ up or just do abseiling (kinda like zipping/rock climbing) which is both a cool way to see the mountain and gives u only a short hike back up
I went to South Africa in August a few years ago. It's hard because there are a lot of microclimates, so you're best off packing layers (leggings and I'd recommend something like a packable down jacket and sweatshirts for early morning safaris), and maybe a light jacket for Cape Town if it rains or if you're going down to the coast/Cape of Good Hope, which can be super windy).
Joburg things to do
And the Lion and Rhino Nature Reserve near Johannesburg has a really nice game drive and lots of animal interactions. :)
In Joburg it's more about the community get to know people there are great people there (oh and eat out a lot!) I would suggest going to the lion's park even if you are planning on doing Kruger. It's a different experience and really wonderful.
We took a day to go to Soweto and it was an awesome experience. (Go with an experienced tour guide it can be dangerous otherwise) Definitely recommended.
There's an art market that has fun souvenirs in Joburg, and a hot springs water park/pools like an hour away if I remember correctly.
About Kruger- we went to Pilanesburg instead of Kruger. It's a smaller park but that can sometimes mean spotting more animals. Stay over one night, not sure you need more.
Something to do in Johannesburg is tour Soweto, you get an authentic feel for what it's like to live in real Africa :) The person to do it with is Ilan Ossendryver Soweto & Other Townships Tours with Photojournalist Ilan Ossendryver (facebook) Ilan is a photo journalist who takes you around in his car to all the real local places.
Stay over in Kruger if you can. The huts are awesome- no wifi :) Wake up at the crack of dawn and take a drive to see the animals.
Go to the elephant sanctuary if you want the full elephant guiding experience including riding elephants (monkey sanctuary is cool too)
Lion park! They've updated it. Walk with lions, pet lion and cheetah cubs and ride thru seeing all the lions and other animals...
A while ago I went to Soweto with a guide and driver - not sure of the status these days (safe or not) but it was an eye opening experience
Garden Route
Sample Garden route itinerary here
List of the towns along the route and things do there here
Namaqualand flower season in the desert is right at this time (aug- sept) more info here and here
Garden route: Your main stops from CT are: mossel bay - wilderness - sedgefield - knysna - plett - tsitsikamma - PE. You can detour to Oudtsoorn somewhere along the way. Shout if you have anything else. It is my favourite place! Knsyna is our home away from home.
From JGTer Shoshi Hecht:
Hi Esther,
I'm sending you below my itinerary for SA, we were based at the Bon Riviere Hotel at the Vaal and hired a recommended driver/guide for the duration of our stay. I highly recommend him, his name is Markus (you can see his email and contact info below) Good luck and enjoy your travels.
<markus@globaltravelhouse.co.za>
Good day Shoshi
Your itinerary will be as follow
Pickup:
1. 10 April from ORT to Bon Hotel ( We will need your Flight Information )
2. 13 April – Leaving Hotel at 05:30
From Bon Hotel to Sun City Pilanesberg and 15:00 To Kwamaritane Game reserve for late afternoon/evening drive. ( Need to pre Book )
3. 14 April – Leaving Hotel at 08:30
Lesedi Cultural Village with African market and 13:00 to Rhino and Lion Park
4. 16 April – Leaving Hotel at 08:30
Elephant and Monkey Sanctuaries and to Chameleon Village for shopping on your way back
5. 19 April – From Bon back to ORT ( will confirm times)
Kind Regards
Markus Janse van Rensburg
Director
+27 61 541 5227
That’s all I can think of for now, but please feel free to HMU if you have any questions--I’m happy to help!
xox , Esther
Or HMU on facebook or Instagram!
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